Apparatus for positioning fish



Aug.25, 1953 P. DANIELSSON 2,649,613

APPARATUS FOR POSITIONING FISH Original Filed April 17, 1945 69 /ea 3/es 3 8/ 32 a0 67 uOuOnQuO O.

Patented Aug. 25, 1953 APPARATUS FOR POSITIONING FISH Paul Danielsson,Stockholm, Sweden, assignor to Arenco Aktiebolag, Stockholm,

Sweden, a

Swedish joint-stock company Original application April 17, 1945, SerialNo.

588,789. Divided and this application December 29, 1948, Serial No.67,843

8 Claims.

This invention is a division of my patent No.

2,563,008, for Apparatus for Positioning Fish,

dated August 7, 1951.

It is an object of the invention to provide 1mproved means forpositioning the fish by displacing them longitudinally, for example,relative to dressing means such as means for cutting the fish intodefinite thicknesses at their tail ends.

Another object of the invention is to maintain or rather increase thepossibility of displacing the fish even though the fish might taperlargely.

Still another object of the invention is to increase the efliciency andrapidity of positioning fish that are supplied in an unarrangedcondition with respect to the directions of their heads so as to siftthem out into two groups.

A further object of the invention is to provide novel means forperforming said positioning which is not affected by coatings or scalesand slimy substances of the fish.

With these and other objects not specifically mentioned in view, theinvention consists in the construction and combination of parts whichwill be hereinafter fully described and then particularly pointed out inthe claims hereunto appended.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is an end view of a machine provided with means embodying theinvention;

Fig. 2 is an elevational side view of said end of the machine; and

Fig. 3 is a sectional view on the line IIIIII of Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawing, a fish locating member L consisting of anedgewise positioned plate 65 extends longitudinally of two parallel fishconveyors Ia and lb. The plate 65 is pivotally journalled on a bracket66 on the machine frame by means of a holder member consisting of aspindle 61 inserted into the front end 92 of the bracket 66 andextending through oval slots 69 in the head 68 of the plate 65 so thatthe plate 65 can adjust itself vertically on the spindle 61. Rapidreciprocating swinging movements are imparted to the plate 65 by meansof a cam 80 secured to a horizontal shaft 32 and actuating a roller 8|rotatably mounted on a rod 30. The rod 30 is slidably mounted in thebracket 66. A tension spring 3i interconnecting the bracket 66 and aforked front end 82 of the rod urges the roller 8| against the cam 80.The forked front end 82 of the rod 30 projects into a recess 83 in theplate 65 and embraces a pin 84 inserted into the plate 65 and beingparallel to the spindle 61. The bevelled bottom edge 81 of the plate 65is inclined down- 2 run over Sprockets 5 secured to a drivingshaft 4rotatably journalled in the machine frame i-as Well as over idlersprockets (not shown). To the shaft 4 is secured a pulley [B which isdriven by a belt l1. Each conveyor l a and lb is provided with fishcarrier pockets formed between side plates or impellers 2, and bottomplates 3.- The shaft 32 is rotatably journalled in a bracket 1 anddriven by means of a bevel gear 35 by a vertical shaft 36 journalled ina bracket -8. The shaft 36 is driven by the shaft 4 by means of a bevelgear 34. At the outer sides of the conveyors la and lb are mountedplates 89 for supporting the head ends of the fish. In addition to thehead cutters I8 secured to the shaft 4, another cutter 90 is secured tosaid shaft between both the conveyors and adapted to cut off the tailends of the fish.

In the operation of this apparatus the fish A are advanced in unarrangedcondition with respect to their head ends and when engaging the inclinedbottom edge 81 of the plate 35 they will lift said plate slightly. Bymeans of the vibratory means including the cam and forming part of themotion transmitting means including the shafts 4 and 36 and the rod 30the plate 65 is swung so that its bottom edge 81 is reciprocated rapidlycrosswise of the path of travel of the fish. From the drawing it isevident that the plate 65 acts by reciprocating movements repeatedlyupon each individual fish when each individual impeller 2 moves belowand past the edge 81 of the plate, and thereby it will act upon the fishagainst their scales and fins while the fish are supported by theconveyors and the plate 88, whereby the fish are sifted out into twogroups, one group being displaced head first to the left and the othergroup being displaced head first to the right in Fig. l. Thereby thetapered shape of the fish assists in working the fish lengthwise awayfrom the centre of the machine, until the plate 65 has descended into aposition in which the top plate 9| of the head 68 rests on the front end92 of the bracket 66 serving as an abutment for the spindle 61. Theefiiciency of the plate 65 operating with its edge 8'! in engagementwith the body of the fish will be practically unaffected by slimycoatings on the fish. Due to its capacity of accommodation to thethickness of the tapering fish it will increase its efiiciency the morethe body .of the fish tapers. The displacement of the fish will bedefined by the thickness of their tail ends. That is to say, thethickness of the rear portion of the fish at the cut performed by thetail cutter will be definite and uniform since the edge 81 of the plate65 and the cutting edge -of the cutter 90 are substantially aligned, i.e. they are located substantially in the same vertical plane extendingin the fish feeding direction, so

that the thickness of thecut at the tail end will 3 be substantiallyequal tdthe distance between the plate edge 87 and the'siipporting table88 limited and defined by arresting the downward movement of the plate65 as described. Consequently the fish will by the cutters I8 and [S -becut. into definite lengths and definite thicknesses at their tail ends.I claim:

1 Fish locating means comprising, in coi'hbination with means feedingthefish transversely, a spindle extending above and longitudinally of"the path of travel of the fish, a fish locatingmember having a rigidbottom edge which extends in the fish feeding direction, said locatingmember being pivotally mounted on said spindle and movable transverselyto said spindle :topress by said edge upon the fish by its own weight,and means operatively associated with said member to impart to saidmember short and rapid vibratory swinging movements about said axiscrosswise of the fish feeding direction to displace the fishlongitudinally.

2. Fish locating means comprising, in combination with means forsupporting and feeding the" fish transversely, a spindle extending abovesaid means longitudinally of the fish feeding direction, .a fishlocating member having a rigid bottom edge which is adapted to engagethe fish and extends longitudinally of thefish feeding direction, saidlocating member having a head provided with a substantially verticalslot and being substantially vertically slidably pivoted to said spindlewhich extends through said slot and serves as a guide for movement ofsaid .member towards said supporting means and also serves as anabutment limiting said movement,

and. means operatively associated with said member to impart to saidmember short and .rapidvibratory swinging movements about said spindlecrosswise of the fish feeding direction to displace the fishlongitudinally,

3.. locating means comprising, in combination with means for supportingthe fish a holder member associated with said supporting means, a rigidscraper yieldingly slidably mounted on said holder member to be movabletowards and away from said supporting; means and yieldingly engage thefish, and means operatively associated with said scraper for impartin tosaid scraper short and rapid vibratory movements to displace the fishlongitudinally on said supporting means.

4. Fish locating means comprising,- in combination with means forsupporting the fish, a holder member associated with said supportingmeans, a rigid scraper loosely slidabl'y mounted on said holder memberto be movable towards and away from said supporting means and press uponthe fish by its own weight, and means operatively associated with saidscraper for imparting to said scraper short and rapid vibratorymovements to displace the fish longiltudinally on said supporting means.

member and said scraper being adapted to abut each other to limit themovement of said scraper towards said supportingrheans.

H 6. Fish locating means comprising, in combination, a fish locatingmember having a rigid fish bod'y engaging bottom edge and being Iadaptedto reciprocate said edge transversely to displace the longitudinally, aconveyor having impellers for feeding the fish laterally to andlongitudinally of said edge, and means operatively, interconnecting saidconveyor and said locat ng member and comprising vibratory meansadapted-to control said locating member to reciprocate said edgetransversely of the feeding direction .repeatedly upon the passage ofeach individual impeller past said edge, said locating member beingloosely suspended to be elevated by the laterallyadvancing fish andpress upon the body of the fish by its own gravit'y.

7. Fish locating means comprisin in combination, a fish locating memberhaving a rigid fish body engaging bottom edge and being adapted toreciprocate said edge transversely to displace the fish longitudinally,a conveyor having impellers for feeding the fish laterally to andlongitudinally of said edge, and means operatively interconnecting saidconveyor and said locating member and comprising vibratory means adaptedto control said locating member to reciprocate said edge transversel ofthe fish feeding direction repeatedly upon the passage of eachindividual impeller past said edge, said locating member being adaptedto yieldingly engage the fish and being pivoted above said conveyor atan axis extending longitudinally'of the fish feeding direction.

8. Fish locating means comprising, in combination, a fish locatingmember having a rigid fish body engaging bottom edge and being adaptedto reciprocate said edge transversely to displace the fishlongitudinally, a conveyor having impellers for feeding the fishlaterally to and longitudinally of said edge, and means operativelyinterconnecting said conveyor and said locating member and comprisingvibratory means adapted to control said locating member to reciprocatesaid edge transversely of the fish feeding direction repeatedly upon thepassage of each individual impeller past said edge, said locating memberhaving its edge inclined to the .path of travel of the fish and beingloosely suspended above said conveyor to be elevated by the laterallyadvancing fish.

' PAUL DANIELSSON.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS NumberName Date 804,733 Kenney Nov. 14, 1905 1,125,655 Cleveland Jan. 19, 19151,320,990 Butler .4 Nov. 4, 1919 1,642,444 Hovden Sept. 13, 19272,245,330 Danielsson June 10, 1941 2,263,694 Grayson Nov. 25', 19412,263,695 Grayson Nov. 25, 1941 2,311,176 Hutton Feb. 16,1943 2,321,086Hutton June 8, 1943 2,413,383 *Savrda Dec. 31, 1946 2,439,657 I-IeXteret al Apr. 13, 1948 2,541,046" Fonken s Feb. 13, 1951 FOREIGN PATENTSNumber Country Date 370,405 Germany --1 Mar. 2, 1923 382,245 Germany 1Sept. 29, 1923

